


Super Power-up

by marvinwhizzer



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action, Gen, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, cat noir!jeremy, ladybug!michael, superhero au, you dont need knowledge of ml to understand this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 21:23:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20607545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marvinwhizzer/pseuds/marvinwhizzer
Summary: Found in my Google Docs from fall 2018 - a Be More Chill x Miraculous Ladybug crossover!





	Super Power-up

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for not a more eloquent description im no longer the same me that i was when i wrote this last year and im not dedicated enough to properly title it (title/summary is the BANE of my existence as a writer lmao)  
I have a lot of old stuff sitting in my google docs and from time to time i reread it and go "well shit, this is actually pretty interesting" and this one's actually gonna get posted because its LONG and i at one time put a lot of hours of work and thought into it, and there's bound to be someone out there somewhere who wants to read it, so... ta da!  
this could be revised better but ive already spent like three hours editing it and shit and that's .. enough lmao here it is im posting it
> 
> also, i recently changed my username, but it's still ya boi

"Home, sweet home..." Michael parked the Cruiser in the driveway, sitting for a few more minutes to let the song finish before shutting off the car. He danced through the doorway, the melody of the song still active in his brain. He grabbed a glass of water out of the kitchen on his way in, and retreated to his basement lair.

Michael set his water down on the desk, glass still half full. He plopped his backpack down on the bed, unzipped it, and grabbed his homework. He sighed.

“So boring,” he sighed to himself. His parents were both still at work, so there truly was no one to hear him. He was planning to play the new Call of Duty with Jeremy later, so he had to get the homework out of the way sooner rather than later. He dug around blindly in his backpack to find a pencil, and his hand landed on a strange object. He stopped. He pulled it out and held it up to get a good look at it. It was a small hexagonal box. He definitely didn't recognize it.

“Huh,” he wondered out loud. “Did someone put it in my bag by accident? But how would they have…?”

His sentiment was cut off by a bright flash of white light as he opened the box.

“Whoa!” 

Michael ducked, covering his face as a ball of light whizzed around him.

“Hello, Michael,” a small voice said.

“Ahh!” Michael backed up into the desk, knocking the glass of water over onto the floor. “Shit.”

“Shh, shh. Don't be alarmed--” 

Michael was alarmed. The voice was coming from a small red creature, who floated a few feet from Michael's face.

“W-what are you?” He stopped swatting at the flying creature when he realized it was accomplishing nothing.

“I am a kwami. My name is Tikki. It's wonderful to finally meet you!”

“A… kwami?”

“Yes, a kwami,” she giggled. “We're ancient creatures that can give superpowers to special chosen humans.”

“Superpowers!?”

“In that box is the miraculous of the ladybug, which contains the power of creation.”

“Am I high right now?”

“It’s gonna be a lot to explain, but it will all make sense in time, I promise. The miraculous are magical jewels that bestow super powers upon those who wear them. You, Michael Mell, have been chosen to become the bearer of the ladybug miraculous.”

“Whoa. Awesome! Hold on, what do you mean, ‘chosen’?”

“You were chosen by my guardian. We think you’re a perfect candidate for the job.”

“The job of… being a superhero?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa. Dope… But, wait a second, why me? And… _ how _ me? How did you find me? Are you sure this is real?”

“It’s real,” the kwami laughed. “There’s a potential villain on the loose. Some very bad people have gotten their hands on a miraculous -- the miraculous of the butterfly. My master was doing research into the organization that stole it… and it sounds like your school has been targeted by this organization in the past. Further digging found that … _ you _ were the one that saved everyone from them. Master thought you would be the absolute best candidate for the job.”

“Whoa, whoa, wait, hold on. What organization? What are you talking about?”

“Last year, your school was almost taken over by microcomputers manufactured by this organization. We don't know anything about them or their whereabouts, we just suspect that they're the same bad folks who made the-”

“Squips,” Michael muttered. “Oh my god... They're still trying that shit!?”

“They're trying even worse now, I'm afraid. They stole the miraculous from my Master all the way back in France. I know it’s a big responsibility… but we need you to stop them, Michael. There's no telling what they're going to do with that miraculous.”

“The butterfly, you said? What does it do? What kind of powers does a butterfly have?”

“All of the miraculous grant abilities of enhanced strength, endurance, and force, and each have their own unique characteristics as well. The Butterfly can gift another person with superpowers.”

“So, basically, they’re creating super villains.”

“Yeah.”

“Yikes.”

Tikki nodded. Michael sucked in a breath.

“Okay… Okay, I think I get it. You need me. The people need me. That's a first,” he laughed. “This is crazy. Me? A superhero? It's like I'm in a movie, or something… Wow...” He picked up the little jewelry box. “So what do I need to do? How do I become … super?”

“You just need to put on the earrings, and say ‘transform me!’”

“Earrings?”

Michael looked into the box. Indeed, within it lay a pair of simple round earrings, each red with five black polka dots.

He looked back up at Tikki, who was frowning. “What?” she asked.

“I don't have my ears pierced.”

“Hm. I guess we'll have to fix that, ASAP.”

Michael took his earlobe between his finger and thumb, rubbing its smooth, unstabbed surface. He felt a twinge of anxiety. “I, uh… I guess so, huh. Uh, how soon, exactly?”

“As soon as possible,” she repeated. “We have no idea when the butterfly holder might strike. We need to be ready.”

Michael tugged on his ear, humming in dissatisfaction. He rocked nervously on his toes. “This is really as important as you say?”

“Absolutely.”

“This isn't a prank at all?”

“No, no pranks! I'm telling you the whole truth. Don't you believe me?”

“I do believe you, I just… Gah! Why did I have to get the earrings!? Okay.... Okay. We're doing it.” Michael picked up his keys off the bed. “Let's go. Let's go right now before I can chicken out.”

Tikki beamed. “Okay, lead the way, Michael. I'm sorry you have to do this. I can tell you're nervous. I'm not meaning to force all of this onto you so fast… It's just, the world really does need you.”

“Yeah, I get it. It's okay.” Michael stopped when he was halfway up the stairs. “Uh, I should probably ask my moms first, actually.” He scratched his head.

“Ask? But Michael, what if they say no? I can't transform you if you aren't wearing the earrings…”

“Okay, maybe not _ ask, _ but at least _ tell _. They'll probably be mad if I just randomly go and get my ears pierced…”

“No offense, but we can't afford to wait, Michael. And you can't tell anyone that I exist. It needs to stay secret.”

“Okay. Yeah, okay, you're right. Let's just do this.”

As if on cue, Michael's mom walked through the door as soon as Michael's hand touched the handle. Tikki flew and hid inside of his hoodie pocket.

“Mama! You’re home! Uh, how was work?”

“It was alright, honey. Where are you headed now?”

Michael tucked his keys behind his back. “Uh, actually, I was… um… I was wondering…”

Michael's mother gave him a quizzical look, still standing in the doorway, a hand on her hip.

“Can I get my ears pierced?”

She thought about it for a moment. “I mean, sure. I don't see why not? Why this, all of a sudden?”

“Just… uhh… saw some cool earrings at the store and thought: Heyyy… I should totally get my ears pierced!” Michael laughed awkwardly. 

Mama shrugged. “Hmm. Sure, okay. That's a good enough reason for me. I think it would look good on you.”

“Yay! Thank you thank you thank you,” Michael praised quickly, slipping past her to head for the door.

“Right now?”

“Uhh.. yes?”

She shook her head. “You really are strange, mi hijo. Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, no, you just got home from work, you should stay and relax.”

“Okay,” she laughed. She pulled him in for a brief hug, kissing him on the cheek. “Take Jeremy with you, then.”

Michael turned his cheek away to hide his blush. “Okay, ma.”

“Good boy. Now, go get your piercings, you silly weird kid. I'm looking forward to seeing these special earrings you found.”

“Sure thing, ma… Love you. Bye.”

Tikki flew out of Michael's pocket as soon as he shut the door behind him. He let out a breath.

“Are you going to bring Jeremy?”

“Nah. I'm going over to his place later tonight anyways. He doesn't need to know ‘til then. I don't want him asking me any more questions than necessary. This is already weird enough.”

Michael sat down in the driver’s seat of his car, relaxing a little. He started to feel kind of giddy, actually. He turned the key in the ignition, and was about to put it in drive, when he realized…

“Where do you even go to get your ears pierced?”

* * *

  


_ About an hour later... _

Michael sat back down in the Cruiser, letting out a long, tired exhale.

“Ugh.”

“Ugh?”

“Yes, ugh. That was stressful. And awkward. I'd never been to a Claire's before and I hope that I don't have to do it again, ever. There were so many little girls and moms in there judging me. I'm still sweating.”

“I'm sorry.”

Michael turned to look at the kwami. They'd known each other for all of an hour and he already felt like she was one of his best friends. He waved a hand. “It's not your fault, Tikki. Besides, it's gonna be hella worth it when I get to turn into a freaking _ superhero _.”

“Why don’t you put on the earrings?”

“Can I? I mean… Claire said to leave these earrings in for four to six weeks.”

Ignoring the fact that the employee who had pierced Michael's ears was definitely _ not _ named Claire, Tikki persuaded. “That's just so that the holes don't close up, which means any earrings will do the trick. You can switch them.”

“Are you sure? What if they get infected? What if I'm allergic to the metal?”

“They're magical earrings, you'll be fine! I promise! I've been partnered with Ladybugs for hundreds of years, Michael. This ain’t my first rodeo, you know.”

“Oh, girlll,” Michael exclaimed. “Okay. Okay, I trust you.”

He folded down the sun visor and glanced at himself in the mirror. He carefully removed his brand new earring from his slightly swollen ear, and replaced it with one from the miraculous box. When he had both on, he let out a sigh of relief. He closed the other pair into the box and tucked it away in his glove compartment.

“Looking good, Ladybug!” said Tikki.

Michael winked. He tilted his head from side to side in the mirror. “They're solid white now…”

“Mhm. Which brings me to my next point… Your identity _ must _ stay secret. The miraculous are specifically designed to look discreet in order to protect civilian identities.”

“That makes a lot of sense.”

Michael closed the visor and clipped in his seatbelt.

“So, what are my superpowers?”

“The Ladybug is one of the two most powerful miraculous.”

“And the other is the Butterfly?”

“No. The other is of the Black Cat.”

“The black cat?”

“Ladybugs are a symbol of good luck, and black cats represent bad luck. Thusly, the cat possesses the power of destruction, and the ladybug, the power of creation. It's like yin and yang. Opposites that work together in harmony.”

“Partners.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“So I'm not in this alone? Who’s my partner?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. Whoever my master picked to wield the black cat's miraculous. Even if I did know their identity, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Identities should remain secret, even to partners.”

Michael nodded solemnly.

“Your power is the Lucky Charm. You have the ability to create an object at will that will be able to help you in the current mission. It can seem random and unclear what the purpose of these objects are, but luck is on your side as Ladybug, so you'll be able to figure something out. You also have the ability to purify the evil butterflies used to possess people by the butterfly holder, and the Miraculous Cure, which magically restores and repairs all damages done by your fight.”

“Wow. That sounds like … a lot.”

“You'll get the hang of it, I know you will. I see a lot of potential in you, Michael.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely.”

“Can I give it a test run?”

Tikki frowned. “I'd love to say yes, Michael… But maybe not in broad daylight. I don't want us drawing any attention to ourselves yet. I can sense that we'll be needed soon… But just not yet.”

Michael nodded. “Okay. Yeah. That's probably smart.”

  


* * *

  


Michael's moms were very excited about the earrings when he got home.

“Show me, show me!” They demanded as he was kicking his shoes off at the door.

Michael squirmed as his Mama tugged on him to get a good look.

“Are these the earrings you were talking about? Oh wow… Very nice, Michael! They're really simple, I think it suits you well.”

“Let me see, let me see. Oh my gosh, Vanessa, look at our boy! You’re so handsome, Mikey!”

Michael flashed an awkward smile and ran a hand through his hair, just wanting the attention off of him. But he knew it never lasted long. His mothers could be a little overbearing sometimes, but it was all out of love. And he loved them very much.

“You look like a little rockstar! Sure to impress all the ladies. Or the men.” Mom winked.

“Alright, alright, spotlight off of Michael now...” He threw his hands in the air and they backed off, letting him pass. They exchanged a smile as he went past.

“We'll call you up when dinner is ready.”

“Okay! Oh, and I'm going to Jeremy's after.”

“Sounds good, sweetie.”

Michael flopped down on his bed, beat. He lay there for a few blissful moments before remembering that he never did end up doing his homework.

“Ugh. Today has been a day and a half already… I dropped everything to go get my ears pierced with an alien but I still haven't done my homework yet…”

“Oh, Michael,” Tikki laughed.

“I gotta finish this before dinner so I can go to Jeremy's.”

“Is Jeremy your best friend?”

“Yeah, he's--” Michael cut off when he saw the state of his desk. He groaned at the mess he had left earlier in his startled state. He picked up the tumbler from where it was laying on the floor, and examined the puddle of water. It was mostly contained, and nothing of importance seemed to be wet. He breathed a sigh of relief. He grabbed a shirt off of the floor and wiped up the spill.

“Jeremy is my best friend,” Michael repeated as he settled into his desk chair. “We've known each other since we were little, we've been inseparable practically all our lives.”

“Wow, that's amazing!”

“We did have a bit of a falling out during the whole Squip ordeal last year… Okay, kind of a _ big _ falling out, but it wasn't his fault. I forgave him.”

“That's very big of you.”

Michael felt bashful at the praise. “Yeah, we're doing better now than we were to begin with, I think. We never used to be quite on the same page… But I think we _ get _ each other now.”

“That's great. I'm glad for you. You know? I think my Master made the right choice in appointing you as the new Ladybug.”

Michael said nothing. He turned back to his work, sighing a little. All of this ‘chosen one’ stuff was really almost too much. He hid behind his textbook, determined to at least get this homework done before his life inevitably spiraled into chaos.

  


* * *

  


Michael pulled into the driveway at the Heere household. “We're _ Heere _,” he joked to himself, as he usually did. Tikki didn't get it. He turned the key and his reggae music shut off. 

“So are you gonna just, like, hang out? Hide inside my pockets n’ shit? All the time now?”

Tikki nodded. “Pretty much. It's not impossible for me to leave you alone, but I need to be with you in case anything happens and we need to transform.”

“Hm, okay. Do you ever get bored just sitting in people's pockets all day?”

“Sure I do. But when you've been doing this for this long, you sort of just get used to it.”

“Tough deal.”

Tikki hid and Michael hopped out of the car. He walked up the driveway and straight into the house; he didn't need to knock.

“Hey, Michael!” he was greeted by Mr. Heere as he came in the door.

“Hey.”

“Jeremy’s just upstairs in his room.”

“Cool, thanks, Mr. Heere. And hey,” he commented. “I like the pants.”

He gave a thumbs up as he started up the stairs. He felt grateful that Mr. Heere didn't comment on the earrings. Maybe he'd get lucky and Jeremy wouldn't either.

“Michael! Whoa, what the… Are those _ earrings _?”

Dammit. How was he supposed to respond to that? He had to play it cool.

“Yeah, bro.”

“I just saw you earlier today and you didn't... Did you just get them done today?”

“Yeah… You like?” Michael waggled his eyebrows playfully.

Jeremy didn't react. “C'mere,” he said.

Michael turned his head to the side as Jeremy took his earlobe, taking care to be delicate with the still reddened skin. His blue eyes were wide and curious. Michael turned his eyes towards the ceiling, willing himself not to blush as Jeremy’s fingers lingered against the sensitive flesh.

“They-they look good, dude. Yeah.” Jeremy shoved his hands back into his pockets. “You ready to play this game?”

“Oh hell yeah.”

The rest of the evening went fairly normally, and Michael was surprised and relieved at how little explaining he had to do about the piercings. It almost made him want to talk about it more, weirdly enough. He was used to telling stories to Jeremy. He decided he'd tell the parts of the story that he could.

“I almost had a breakdown today at Claire's.”

Jeremy almost spat out his drink. “Oh my god. You got your ears pierced at Claire's?”

“Yes, and it was scary in there! There were like, little girls everywhere and moms hardcore judging me. And I mean, I’m fine with being judged normally; it means I'm succeeding at defying the norms and making people think -- loser pride, stay weird, and all that -- but there's something about a Claire's Mom that's just terrifying, dude.”

Jeremy laughed. “I can imagine.”

“Only in your deepest nightmares can you imagine.”

“Why did you decide to get your ears pierced all of a sudden anyway?”

“I'd been thinking about doing it for a while,” he lied.

“Rich looks pretty good with them, yeah.”

Michael threw a pillow at Jeremy. “I'm not dating Rich!”

“I didn't even mention dating. Those are your words, not mine.” The pillow was tossed back.

“You keep bringing up Rich to me! I know you're trying to hint at something!” He threw the pillow back. Jeremy caught it before it could hit him. He set his controller down on the floor and launched the pillow back at Michael again.

“Maybe I am.”

“I don’t even like Rich. Rich is weird,” Michael declared, sending the pillow back to Jeremy.

“Word.”

“He's not bad. Or bad looking, for that matter. But he--” 

Jeremy raised his eyebrows, and Michael punched the pillow in his lap. “Shut up! That’s not what I meant. And anyway, you know I only have eyes for you, Jewemy-”

Michael got the pillow shoved into his face.

“It’s really weird to think that Rich only bullied us because of his squip,” Jeremy reflected. “He was really mean to us for a really long time. It's sort of hard to just drop all of that and be his friend.”

“Yeah, man, I know. The fucked up part is that I actually remember him from freshman year.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, man. I never really like _ met him _ met him, but he was in a few of my classes and I could tell that he was sort of a geeky loser like me. He just didn't own it, though. He was so quiet. He just faded into the background. He must've been really afraid of being judged or something.”

“Weird. I feel really bad for him… I know he's really messed up over all the squip stuff, just like me, but I'm also still kinda messed up over him tormenting me. I forgive him, I just… can't really be his friend like nothing happened.”

“That’s valid,” Michael said, laying his head down on Jeremy's pillow, closing his eyes.

Jeremy tapped his fingers on his knees. “Hey, uh…”

Michael waited for Jeremy to continue. The silence lasted a little while.

“You're not gonna replace me, are you?”

“Replace you?” Michael sat up. “Jeremy, what are you talking about?”

“I-I dunno. Just this Rich talk has me thinking… What if one of us ever really did start dating someone, like for real. We'd still be best friends, right?”

“Of course. You were with Christine for a while and we weren't any less of friends.”

“Bu-but that's different… I mean… What if you got a boyfriend? Like, a real nerdy one. A guy who loves retro video games and who would go for philosophical 3am 7-Eleven runs with you.”

“I’d still do that stuff with you, too!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Jeremy, you big dumb bitch, you're my favourite person in the world! Well… besides my mom. And my other mom.”

Jeremy cracked a smile finally.

“There he is,” Michael teased, pinching his cheek. “There’s my little boy's smile!”

“Shut up,” Jeremy laughed, shoving him away.

Michael beamed at him. “Seriously, I could never replace you. We're a team, remember?”

“Right. Two player game.”

“Always. Now, my trusty Player 2, do me the honour of picking up your controller so we can continue slaying at this game.”

* * *

  
  


Tikki flew out of Michael's pocket as he climbed into the PT Cruiser to head back home from Jeremy's.

“Jeremy seems like a really sweet guy,” she remarked.

“Yeah,” Michael replied. “He's the best.”

Michael tapped his fingers on the steering wheel for a moment, not moving to start the car yet.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing. I'm just still thinking about how worried Jeremy sounded over me _ replacing _ him. He's always been insecure, but the squip incident really seems to have messed up his brain. I know what it's like to feel replaced, but I never cared that he was dating Christine. Why should he care if I get a boyfriend?”

“It seemed to me like he was jealous.”

Michael felt his ears growing flushed at the mere sentiment. “He… he's wha…?”

“He's jealous.”

“Stop saying that word.”

“It's true! He can't bear the thought of you spending more time with someone else.”

“No, no, Jeremy is straight. He's straight. We’re not…” Michael waved his hands around in nonsensical, frantic motions. “Whatever. It doesn't matter anyway because there is no_ someone else _ right now. It's just me and him. It’s always just me and him.”

Tikki frowned for a moment, but said nothing.

  


* * *

  


_ The next day… _

Jeremy arrived at the school, sweating and out of breath. He had slept in and missed the bus, and had rushed to get there on time on foot.

He sat down in his assigned seat in front of Michael in his first class, sighing.

“Wow. You look like shit.”

Jeremy turned to glare at him. “Thanks.”

Michael hummed. “Just stating a fact. What happened to you?”

“Just slept in.”

“D'aww.”

“I didn't even get to grab breakfast on the way,” he pouted.

“Hey. Don't worry about it. The Sev train is leavin’ the station at lunch hour. You can come with,” Michael beckoned, waggling his eyebrows.

Jeremy cracked a small smile at that, and Michael relished in it. 

“Thanks, Mike.” Jeremy turned back to his own desk.

* * *

  
  


Apart from that period, Jeremy didn't have any other classes with Michael this semester. He'd have to meet him in the parking lot at lunch time. He didn't like the idea of sneaking out. Technically, they weren't really supposed to leave school grounds for lunch, but it wasn't policed too well. Still, he was always anxious when they did it. He knew that he would probably be the person to get punished for it -- he was always unlucky like that. He normally let Michael go without him, but he didn't want to eat shitty cafeteria food as his only meal today.

In the bathroom between classes, Jeremy found himself alone and took the opportunity to freshen up a little. He ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, scrutinizing himself in the mirror.

He watched the wave of horror wash over his face as he remembered he had forgotten to put on deodorant that morning.

He knelt and unzipped his backpack, digging through every pocket to see if he had any on him. Nothing. Today was truly a terrible day, he thought to himself.

He prayed to whatever god might be out there before unzipping the final pocket of his bag. No deodorant to be found, but instead there was a weird little black box. It caught his eye immediately.

“What the…”

He turned it around in his hands for a second before opening it. This must belong to someone, he thought. He felt weird snooping in it, but he was curious, and wouldn't know what to even do with it if he didn't know what was in it.

He lifted the lid, and the entire bathroom was lit up with a bright light. He shielded his eyes, heart beating a mile a minute. He felt a breeze of something flying around him, and he screamed, stumbling backwards.

The light dimmed, and suddenly there was a very strange sight before his eyes. A tiny black creature was floating above him. It had bright green eyes and characteristics akin to a cat. Jeremy rubbed his eyes. It didn't go away.

“Is anybody else seeing this right now?” He asked timidly. But he was alone. He decided he should probably keep it down, just in case it wasn't actually real. He didn't need to give people any more reasons to tease him.

“This isn't real, Jeremy. You're imagining this. Yeah.”

Just when he thought he might be getting a handle on the situation, the creature spoke:

“It's sort of rude of you to call me imaginary, I think.”

Jeremy screamed again.

“Shh, shh, calm it down, jeez! Why do humans always need to scream so much…”

Jeremy stopped screaming.

“There you go. Now, as I was trying to say… I'm Plagg. Nice to meet you, Jeremy.”

“It knows my name… Why does it know my name? It's in my head. Oh god, it’s in my head--”

“Will you _ please _ stop referring to me in the third person already? I’m right in front of you. There are important things I need to tell you and from the looks of it, we don't have very much time right now.”

“Important… things?”

“Yes! Finally! Okay. I'm Plagg. I'm basically the god of destruction. Make of that what you will. Anyways, you're going to be a superhero. This miraculous will give you the powers of the black cat. And most importantly, nobody can know about this. You have to keep your identity secret, and you can't let anybody know that I exist. So I'd appreciate you _ not _ screaming in bathrooms and drawing attention to me.”

“Whoa, wait, wait, wait. Back up. A superhero? I'm gonna be a superhero?”

“Yes! You just have to put on the ring and say ‘transform me’ but PLEASE don't do it right now, that would be really suspicious and bad.”

“Why… why would you make _ me _ a superhero?”

“Why? Why do they always ask why? Don't ask me _ why _-”

Jeremy grabbed his backpack and pulled it towards him, creating a wall between him and the creature. “Um. No thank you, then.”

“What do you mean, _ no thank you _? I just granted you superpowers, kid, you should be grateful.”

“Well, maybe I don't want your stupid miraculous... _ thing _… Yeah. Suck it. I'm leaving.”

“Jeremy!”

But Jeremy got up and left, leaving the ring box on the floor of the bathroom. Plagg was dumbfounded. He had never seen anyone just abandon their miraculous before without even caring. Jeremy was going to be difficult to convince, it seemed.

Plagg sighed. He couldn't go after him yet, so the best he could do was try to hide the ring for now.

Jeremy was shaken up from the encounter. He had had too much experience now with being told someone could make him better. He didn't want someone to think they could make him into a better version of himself again.

In class, he couldn't stop thinking about Plagg. What if he really did have good intentions? But Jeremy couldn't see past the squip. He didn't want to have somebody trying to transform him into something that he wasn't anymore.

Yet on the other hand, he felt guilt. From what Plagg had said, Jeremy was apparently being recruited to be a superhero. Which sounded fake, but so did having a supercomputer live inside your mind and manifest itself physically into your world as Keanu Reeves. Stranger things had happened. 

He clicked his pen anxiously, completely checked out from the lesson he was supposed to be writing notes on. He didn't want to be a superhero, but he knew he would feel like this forever if he didn't at least apologize to Plagg. From the small amount of information he'd processed from the encounter, he could surmise that the ring was some kind of rare, high-tech gadget. Plagg had even said that it was supposed to be a secret -- and he had left it lying on the floor of the boys bathroom! He trusted him, and Jeremy had let him down massively. 

Jeremy clicked the pen with vigour. What if he went back to the bathroom and the miraculous was gone? He would be stuck wondering what had happened to it forever. Or, worse yet, the city would suddenly get a superhero. And he would be stuck with the knowledge that that was supposed to be him. And there would be nothing he could do or say to change it.

“M-may I be excused?” Jeremy blurted out suddenly, throwing his hand into the air to get the teacher's attention.

The teacher let him go, luckily, shushing a few classmates who were snickering at his outburst.

Jeremy ignored the laughter, rushing out of the classroom and towards the bathroom where he had left the miraculous.

He opened the door, and felt a wave of despair and anxiety when he didn't see the ring box. He crouched down to the floor, checking underneath the sink to see if it had fallen. He peered into the garbage can, but there was nothing but a couple of paper towels. He moved the bin aside, hoping to find it was hidden underneath.

“Nooo,” he groaned. “How do I always fuck up so much?”

He leaned against the wall for a moment, frustrated and defeated. Then it dawned on him.

“Did I imagine that?” Jeremy looked down at his hands. “Oh my god, I'm totally going crazy, aren't I?”

A pause.

“No… No, it was real. It had to've been real… It's here somewhere, it must be!” Jeremy looked under the sink again. He moved the garbage can again.

“Looking for this?” The voice made him jump out of his skin. He whipped around and saw the source. Atop of the corner of one of the stall dividers, sat Plagg. Next to him was the ring box.

Jeremy gasped.

Plagg flew towards him, carrying the box, not without some difficulty. “You actually want it this time, kid? Or are you gonna run away and abandon me again?”

“I-I want it.”

“Finally! I was starting to think you'd never come back.”

“I was in class… I'm still… supposed to be in class.”

“Class, shmass,” Plagg decreed. “You're a superhero now.”

“A superhero…”

“Mhm.”

Jeremy looked down at the box in his hands. He opened it, and slipped the ring into his middle finger. He looked back up to see Plagg smiling at him. He swallowed.

“A-are you not mad at me for almost abandoning you?”

Plagg shrugged his tiny shoulders. “Eh. You know what they say. This too shall pass, and whatnot. You just owe me some cheese.”

“Some… cheese?”

“Yes, cheese! I love cheese. It's my favourite food. What!? Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy or something! I need to eat to survive, you know! I just happen to like cheese.”

“Okay… cheese is good, I guess.”

“Good.”

“Okay… I should probably get outta here before someone comes in and sees me talking to you. Do you just… Where do you go? Who… who even are you?”

“Think of me as… your guardian, sort of. The miraculous can’t do what it does on its own. It needs me to inhabit it to be able to give you your powers. So I have to stick with you at all times, otherwise you don't have the ability to transform.”

“Whoa. Uh. Okay. So do you just wanna… Go in my pocket? Would you even fit?”

“I was thinking just inside your jacket is fine. It's a comfortable enough place to be.”

“In my… oh, no, you don't wanna be within a fifty mile radius of these armpits right now. I didn't…” Jeremy trailed off as he heard the door opening behind him. 

He rushed to turn on the sink, pretending to wash his hands. The person walked past him and into a stall without even looking. Jeremy let out a tiny sigh of relief. He noticed Plagg had flown into his jacket. Okay. That was okay. He was going to go back to class now and everything would be okay.

  


* * *

  


The lunch bell rang, and Jeremy rejoiced. He hadn't heard a single word of what his teacher was saying that entire class. He had so many questions about Plagg, and the whole miraculous thing. 

He still wasn't going to get to ask them, but he was meeting up with Michael, and that would probably help him take his mind off of all of it for a bit. He wanted to tell Michael about it really badly. They had become closer than ever before, helping each other heal after the squipcident, and he basically told him everything now. It would be weird trying to keep a secret. He hoped it wouldn't be problematic.

Jeremy slipped out of the cafetorium through a big crowd of people lined up for shitty cafeteria food. He remembered to breathe again once he had gotten outside. He crossed the parking lot towards Michael's car.

Michael was already sitting in the car, bopping to some music that was just quiet enough Jeremy couldn't make it out. He knocked on the passenger side window. He heard the door click, and he opened it and climbed inside.

“Jeremy -- catch!”

Before Jeremy had time to process the statement, Michael was throwing something at him. He fumbled it in his hands. It was a stick of deodorant.

“Michael!” Jeremy exclaimed. “I don't know whether I should be grateful or offended…”

Michael shrugged.

Clipping in his seatbelt, he started the car. “You excited for slushies, bitch? They have _super_ _sour watermelon_,” he enthused.

Jeremy chuckled.

“I know you're worried about getting in trouble, but trust me bro, it is absolutely worth it when they have sour watermelon. I think it's a limited time only thing, so I want to experience it as many times as possible before they get rid of it. It like burns your tastebuds off, it's so sour.”

“You're crazy.”

“Yeah, I like to live on the edge,” Michael joked.

They sat in Michael's car after they got their food, some chill beats playing softly through the car speakers in the background. They chatted over some greasy Sev-Elev pizza, a bucket of potato wedges -- and of course, two sour watermelon slushies -- until it was time to head back to school.

When they pulled up to the school parking lot, they noticed a commotion immediately.

Students were screaming, and there were people running out of the school and hiding.

“What the hell's going on?”

Jeremy started to panic a bit, because it only made sense for him to stick with Michael in a crisis situation like this, and he didn't know how he would be able to lie his way out of it if Super-Jeremy was needed. Speaking of which…. he suddenly remembered he had no idea what his superpowers were. He started to panic a lot.

Michael parked the car and they both got out.

They could hear people panicking, but there was no sign of what was causing the panic. 

Jeremy spotted a pair of students huddled behind a car in the lot. He went to approach them, but as he took a couple steps forward, he noticed… They weren't students. They were stone statues. He gasped, tugging on Michael's hoodie to get his attention.

“This is weird.”

“Yeah.”

Jeremy tapped his hand impatiently against his leg. This was definitely a superhero situation. But how would he get away? He couldn't just leave Michael. And how would he even stop… whatever was going on right now, anyway? He didn't even know what his abilities were. Based on the appearance of Plagg, and of the ring before he had put it on, he surmised he was maybe a cat-themed hero… But what did that mean?

A scream pierced the air, pulling Jeremy from his thoughts. He recognized the voice as Christine's, and his stomach twisted up with dread.

“I-I’m gonna go get help!” Michael called. “You stay here.” He quickly dashed out of sight, leaving Jeremy alone in the parking lot.

Well. That was his lucky break, he guessed. He glanced nervously around the lot, then ducked behind the PT Cruiser, out of sight.

“Plagg!” he cried. “What’s going on? What do I do?”

The small creature flew out from his coat. “Okay, kid, listen up. Your power is destruction. When you're transformed, the word to activate your power is ‘_ cataclysm. _’ When you say that word, be careful! Don’t use it until you need it. After its use, you only have five minutes left before we detransform, and I won't have enough strength to transform again for a while. The bad guy here is just a normal civilian being controlled, so don't hurt them. That’s the biggest things you need to know. Ladybug will explain the rest to you, now go!”

“Ladybug? Who's Ladybug?”

“She's your partner. C'mon, I said she'll explain everything else, transform.”

“Okay! And you're going to be… inside of my ring? You're what turns me into a superpowered… whatever?”

“Yes.”

“You're not going to be… in my head… are you?”

“No. Technically, we'll be sharing a form, but I'm just the suit, and the cataclysm. All the rest is you, I can't hear your thoughts or anything. I also won't be able to communicate with you while you're transformed. Now, go! Enough talk! Transform!!”

“Okay, okay! But what do you mean, transform? Aren’t you the one who has to transform me? Er- AGGH!”

Jeremy cried out as the kwami was suddenly sucked into his ring, and a weird, magical glow started to envelop him.

He looked down at himself when the transformation was done. 

“Oh, man…” He was wearing a skintight, faux leather catsuit. This couldn't be real. He looked up at his reflection in the car window. “Jesus Christ,” he groaned. “Cat ears? Really, Plagg? If anybody recognizes me in this, my life is _ over _.”

Jeremy heard another scream and his head snapped up. He had to do something. He was supposed to be saving the day, he didn't have time to worry about the trivial aspects of his costume “Okay… Okay, Jeremy, you can do this…”

He reached for his belt, where a silver cylinder was holstered. “This must be my weapon,” he murmured to himself. He grabbed it, examining it for a second. Then, it extended. 

“Whoa! Okay, a staff. Okay. I wonder if I can--” The staff extended further. “Whoa. Awesome!” He shortened it again.

“So in that case…”

Jeremy extended the staff and used it to vault over the chain link fence surrounding the school. “I have no idea how I just did that,” he said as he landed on his feet on the other side. This superhuman strength and agility thing was pretty sweet.

He padded towards the school, and he saw her. Christine. He gasped.

Her face was frozen in an expression of shock and fear. Jeremy's stomach twisted and turned. 

He made his way up on top of the school building, and surveyed his surroundings. And then he spotted, on the opposite side of the building… his partner. The figure stood on the edge of the building, faced away from him, dressed head to toe in a red and black polka-dotted spandex suit. The Ladybug. Jeremy's heart fluttered, just a little bit.

He knew that he wasn't the biggest loser in the world anymore, but he still wasn't great at charming women. He thought he ought to try to make an impression. In his mind's eye, he saw himself landing gracefully at her feet, landing a chivalrous kiss on her hand, calling her ‘my lady’… and in a random feat of unprecedented confidence, he vaulted up in the air to make his grandiose entrance. 

As he was about to hit the ground, his _ lady _ turned to face him….

And they were a guy.

It threw Jeremy off guard enough that he fumbled the landing, falling into the guy's arms. He tried his best to catch him, but they were standing on the edge of the building.

“Dude, what the hell!?” 

“I-I'm sorry, I-I-- Why are you a dude?”

“Did you just ask me why I'm a dude?”

“Well, you're Ladybug! _ Lady _ bu _ \- _”

“Yo, shut the fuck up! We're gonna fa-AAAAALL!”

Ladybug launched his yoyo and managed to wrap it around something on the roof as they were falling, and grabbed hold of Jeremy’s waist with his free arm. The stop was jarring and abrupt, and left them suspended in the air a few mere metres from the pavement.

Jeremy stared at him, wide-eyed. “You saved us.”

“Yeah, no thanks to you,” Jeremy's savior remarked.

“Yeah, sorry, I, uh… I guess cats... don't always land on their feet?”

Ladybug rolled his eyes. They swayed back and forth, suspended from the roof, held on only by the thin string in Ladybug's hand. Jeremy twitched nervously. “H-how do we get down from here?”

“How should I know!? I'm still just learning, too, you know. I only got my miraculous yesterday--”

“You got yours _ yesterday _ ? Buddy, I only got mine _ today _!”

“This is my first time transforming, though! I don't know what I'm doing! All I know is that there is a villain inside of this school and if we keep making a commotion she is going to notice us before we have a plan to fight her. I was trying to come up with a plan when _ you _ came along and pushed us off a fucking roof!”

Jeremy felt himself blush. It was weird to be in a yelling match with someone in such close proximity. “Sorry…”

The polka-dotted superhero sighed. “It's all good. We're both new.” Any previous hostility had disappeared from his voice. “You really shouldn't ask people why they're dudes, though…”

“Yeah, sure, sorry, th-that's a good point.”

“Okay, let's see here…” Ladybug tugged on his weird yoyo string, and suddenly they were _ flying _ back up towards the roof with ridiculous speed. They both screamed, and Jeremy hugged tightly to his partner’s chest. They flew over the edge of the roof and landed unceremoniously on top of each other. They rolled for a few more metres from the momentum, until finally coming to a stop, bumping heads.

“Ow!”

“Fucking hell.”

Jeremy groaned, rubbing his eyes. His vision was spinning a little bit, and he felt a heavy weight on his chest. His gaze focused in… and met a pair of beautiful brown eyes from above him. His heart did a triple backflip inside of his chest.

“Sorry! Shit, that was my bad, this time,” his partner's voice was saying from above him. “You're totally forgiven for questioning my gender and almost killing us both.” He lifted himself up off of Jeremy, and stood, brushing dirt off of his suit. “Man, that hurt…. but it hurt less than it should have, you know? We would have both been concussed right now… This superhero strength is dope, man.”

“Y-yeah…” Jeremy finally sat up, still speechless.

“Okay. We need a plan. The villain was probably a student from-- from this random school that we are at. Right? We need to figure out a bit more info so we can have some idea where the akuma is.”

“Akuma? What’s the akuma?”

“The butterfly...?”

Jeremy shook his head.

“Did your kwami not explain anything to you?”

“Kwami?”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now dude?”

Jeremy threw his hands up in defense.

“The--the thing inside of your ring right now?”

“Oh! Okay. Sorry. I-- didn't know they were called that. And no, he didn't explain everything. We didn't have time. He said you would explain shit to me. So… Give me the abridged version. Akuma. Isn't that Japanese for demon?”

“Yeah. It's basically this weird evil butterfly that possesses people and turns them into villains.”

“An evil butterfly that possesses people. Okay then.”

“I didn't invent this shit, okay! They prey on negative emotions - only someone who’s in a vulnerable state of mind can be possessed. Anyways, we need to break whatever object the akuma is in, and then I can purify it with my yoyo, or something. I hear your superpower is destruction, so that might be what we need to use to destroy the object.”

“Okay. I think I get it. But if the butterflies are used to _ possess _ people, then who is controlling the butterfl--”

A sudden commotion from below interrupted him before he could finish the question.

Two girls ran out of the building, screaming and yelling. Jeremy recognized them as Brooke, and Jenna Rolan.

“Don't make eye contact!” Jenna was shouting. She had her hand covering Brooke's eyes, and was pulling her away from the school.

“But what about Chloe?” Brooke struggled against Jenna. “She was going after Chloe!”

“That sounds like Chloe's problem.”

“Jenna! We have to go help her!”

“There's no use in going after her, Brooke! If she looks at you, you turn to stone, too. You saw! We’re lucky we made it out of there. We need to get the hell out of here and get help.”

Jeremy frowned. “When she looks at you, you turn to stone…”

“Like Medusa?” Michael commented. “She said ‘don't make eye contact.’ Meaning you have to be looking at her back for it to work.”

“Yeah, so we're just gonna fight her with our eyes closed?”

“Quit being such a sarcastic asshole, Catboy. I'm thinking.”

“D-don't call me Catboy…” Jeremy muttered.

“Let’s go, Lucky Charm!” Ladybug shouted. The magical yoyo shot into the air, spinning around and around until a red and black polka dotted object fell down into the hero's hands.

“Sunglasses!” he exclaimed. “So she won't be able to make eye contact with me!”

“Bu-but what about me? I mean, there’s only one pair…”

“Hmm…. Oh, I know! I can distract her because she won't be able to turn me to stone, and then you can sneak up behind her and destroy the object with your cataclysm.”

“But how will I know what the object is?”

“Hmm. Good point. Hey, they might know!” He pointed at Jenna and Brooke.

“Oh yeah! They probably know who got akumatized!”

They leaped down from the school building, with grace this time, and bounded towards the two girls. Brooke started to scream again as the approached.

“Wait, stop,” Jenna placated her friend. “These don’t look like bad guys, Brooke.”

“N-no, we're not!” Jeremy agreed. “We're, um, we're actually trying to _ save _ the day.”

“What are you supposed to be? A sexy cat?”

“I-I’m… uh…”

“I'm Ladybug, and this is my partner. I don't know what to call him yet, but that part doesn't matter. What matters is, you two seem like you know what's going on here, so we need you to fill us in.”

“Okay, so,” began Jenna. “There’s this one girl who never shuts up about how her mom is from Paris, Madeline. Anyway, there's a lot of gossip around about her sex life and I'll be honest, I have participated in the gossip before, but I didn't think she'd really go all Medusa on our asses if--”

The ladybug earrings beeped. “I-in four minutes or less, please!”

“Okay, Madeline finally confronted Chloe about her calling her a slut all the time, and she was really mad, and then suddenly, this black butterfly flew into her beret and she turned into a monster--”

“Her beret!” Jeremy exclaimed.

“Got it! Let's go! You go around back and I'll keep her distracted.” Ladybug put on the sunglasses. “Thank you so much for your help, just stay right here where it's safe and we'll take care of Madeleine.”

* * *

  
  


Michael was admittedly pretty nervous about having less than four minutes left to defeat this supervillain. But he had faith in his new partner, even if they had only just met and he seemed like a bit of an asshole.

He walked down the hallway, passing dozens of stone classmates. He shivered. He had seen Christine get turned to stone out in the parking lot, and now he saw statues of Rich, Jake, Dustin… He hoped Jeremy was okay. He felt a strong pang of guilt for abandoning him in the parking lot earlier. He just hadn't known how to get away to transform and save Jeremy at the same time.

His earring beeped again, and he picked up the pace. He turned a corner, and he saw Madeline. She wasn't Madeline anymore. Her skin was pigmented grey and out of her hat sprouted hundreds of hissing snakes. She stood over Chloe, who was whimpering in fear, her eyes squeezed shut. Michael didn't hesitate.

“Hey!” He launched his yo-yo at the villain. It bounced off the side of her head, and she whirled around angrily.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Someone trying to stop me? I bet you think you're clever to shield your eyeballs from me. What do you think you're a superhero, or something?”

“Yes, actually.”

There was a brief pause. Suddenly, she smiled slyly. “Well, you won't be for much longer. Give me your miraculous!”

She lunged at him, but he rolled out of the way, the adrenaline pumping through his whole body making him more agile than ever. She went for him again, deliberately aiming to knock the glasses from his face but he ducked just in time.

They danced around each other in this way for a few more seconds, and Michael could only pray that his partner would show up soon.

His earring beeped a third time, and he started to panic a bit. 

“C'mon, c’mon… Come through, cat dude...”

Medusa jumped on him, reaching for the sunglasses. He squeezed his eyes shut, when suddenly, he heard her gasp. His eyes flew open and he saw the cat boy snatch her hat right off her head, and then it disintegrated into dust on the ground. A small, black butterfly flew out.

“Oh!!” Michael scrambled across the floor and picked up his yoyo, which had fallen down in the fray. He swung it at the creature, trapping it inside. “Gotcha!!”

He opened the yoyo, and a white butterfly flew out “There you go, little guy. Uhh, Miraculous Ladybug..?” he tossed the sunglasses into the air and to his surprise, a beautiful red light swirled out, surrounding the school, putting things back in their rightful places and transforming the statues back into confused students in the blink of an eye. A miracle. And _ he _ had done it. 

“I did it! _ We _ did it! Dude, that was-”

His earring beeped again, and he jumped. “Shit, I gotta go, I think. Well played, though.” Michael offered his fist out for his newfound partner. “We make a good team.”

“Yeah… yeah, I think we do!”

“Later, uhh… what is your name, by the way?”

“I hadn't really thought of one. Oh man… Call me… call me Cat Noir.”

Michael nodded. “Okay. Later, Cat Noir.” He gave a final wave and took off in a run. He made a mad dash for the nearest hiding spot he could get to before his transformation ran out.

He ducked into the men's locker room just in time, and Tikki emerged from his earring, squealing with glee.

“You did it!!”

“Yeah, I… I did! That was so cool! I can't believe I'm a superhero!”

“Well, believe it,” Tikki beamed. “I'm so proud of you, Michael! Lots of ladybug holders have had some pretty rocky starts, but you did so well! You're going to be an awesome superhero.”

Michael blushed. “Thanks, Tikki.” He allowed himself a moment longer to catch his breath, and then reality caught up to him. “Crap, I gotta go find Jeremy!”

  


* * *

  


Cat Noir knelt down beside the newly detransformed Madeline.

“Are you okay?” he asked, gently passing her her fallen beret.

“I'm fine…” she blinked, taking the hat from his hand. “Thank you. W-what just happened?”

“You got possessed,” he explained. “When you're experiencing a really negative emotion, you're vulnerable to the powers of the butterfly miraculous. The butterfly can only possess people who are experiencing negative emotions. Anger, sadness, fear...”

Other classmates had started to file in around Madeline.

“Why were you upset, Madeline?” Christine asked.

Madeline looked up at Christine as if that was the first time anyone had ever been nice to her. “People are always spreading rumours about me…” she said. “And normally, I can handle the rumours -- they're just words… But the thing is that everyone has stopped bullying Michael and Jeremy lately -- and they're _ losers _!!”

Ouch. That stung a little bit, but Jeremy couldn't react.

“So Chloe is magically nicer to these super uncool guys, and yet she still has the gall to call me a slut!? It's unfair. I got so mad… I decided the best way to confront her was just to do it straight up, so I marched on over and … and I can't remember what happened after that.”

Christine was frowning, and she offered a hand to Madeline, helping her up off the floor. She said something else to her, but a swarm of questions was coming in from the other students, and Jeremy couldn't hear her anymore.

“Wait, wait, hold on. You said possession?” / “Who the hell is _ the Butterfly _?” / “What's a miraculous?” / “Are you a superhero?” / “Why negative emotions?”

But Jeremy's ring beeped, and he needed to get away fast. “I-I'd love to answer your questions, everyone, but I have to go now. I, uh, I'm sure you'll hear from me again. Go make sure your classmates are okay, and … stop calling people sluts. And losers,” he added.

Jeremy sprinted away as fast as his legs could carry him, and he detransformed behind the school. God, that was stressful. Much to his surprise and relief, nobody recognized him. His double life had begun. He was a veritable superhero now. 

As he took a moment to recollect himself, Plagg said something about cheese.

“I don’t have any cheese, Plagg.”

“Ugh. Fine! I will need food, though. Upholding a transformation is really tiring.”

“Okay, uh… I'll find you something. Hide.”

Jeremy walked back into the school. He still had millions of questions swirling around in his brain, but he didn't really have the time to get them answered just yet. He needed to find-

“Michael!”

“Jeremy! You're okay!” Michael ran up and pulled him into a tight hug.

  
  


“What the hell just happened?”

“Madeline went berserk and starting trying to kill me!”

“No she didn't, she was possessed!”

“Possessed by what, _ Jenna _?”

“Some butterfly thing! Listen to me, I know what I'm talking about, girl. It was a possession.”

“By who?” Jake asked.

“That's the part I don't know. You'd have to ask those superhero dudes.”

“Superheroes?” 

“There were two superheroes that saved us,” said Brooke. “The ladybug dude and the sexy cat guy.”

“Cat Noir and Ladybug,” Jeremy corrected.

“Ladybug and Cat Noir,” Michael corrected.

“If you two are such geniuses, why don't you explain what just went on?” Chloe challenged.

“Uhh… well I don't know much more than you guys do, but I assume if there's people being possessed, then there must be a villain behind the possessions. I would assume whoever that is must be butterfly-themed.”

“A butterfly, a ladybug, and a cat. It seems so strange,” said Jenna. “What's the connection there?”

“I don’t get it either,” Michael chipped in. “But I do know one thing: the butterflies feed off of negative emotions. So if this is going to be a problem for a while, we should start being a little nicer to each other.”

Chloe sighed. “I guess antisocial headphones kid has a point.”

“You mean Michael,” Jeremy corrected.

“Sure.”

Michael shrugged. “Good enough for me.”

“Madeline got akumatized because of you,” Christine interjected, her arms crossed at Chloe. “You should apologize to her.”

Chloe was silent a moment, looking back to Christine with obvious disdain.

“Okay,” she sighed eventually. “I'm sorry, Madeline,” she began. “I’ve been a jerk to you for like… a really long time now. I was honestly just jealous that you slept with Jake. You didn't really do anything wrong, though. I shouldn't have blamed you. You’re not a slut.” 

Everyone looked a little surprised to see Chloe being so genuine. No one spoke.

“You really gotta stop pretending to be French, though,” she added. 

A mumble of agreement came from the students.

“She really is French, though!” Christine defended. “Well… 15% on her mother's side… Yeah," Christine frowned sympathetically, "maybe you should stop mentioning that you're French.”


End file.
